Traverse mechanism for cable-making machines.



W. N. RETTINGER. TRAVERSE MECHANISM FOR CABLE MAKING MACHINES.

APPLIC ATION FILED NOV- 20, 19I5 Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

Inventor Witneses Attorneys WILLIAM N. RET'IIN'GER, OF BOURBON, INDIANA.

TRAVERSE MECHANISM FOR CABLE-MAKING MACHINES.

Application filed November 20, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. RET- TINGER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Bourbon, in the county ofMarshall and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful TraverseMechanism for Cable-Making Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention is a traverse mechanism adapted especially for useupon a cable making machine, and aims to provide a novel and improvedmechanism for directing the cable properly upon the winding mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure1 is a rear view of the mechanism, portions being shown in section. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the cable guiding mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the friction clutch or slip connection between the windingand cable guiding mechanisms.

The present construction is adapted particularly for use upon a cablemaking machine, including the main frame 1, carrying the windingmechanism 61 and the cable guiding mechanism 60.

The winding mechanism 61 embodies a transverse tubular shaft 82 carriedby the frame, a reel or spool 83 being mounted upon the shaft 82 forwinding the cable C thereon. The reel 83 can be removed, or the cablecan be unwound therefrom, which ever is desired. A sprocket wheel 81 iskeyed to one end of the shaft 82 and is connected by an endless sprocketchain 85 with a driving element.

The cable guiding mechanism embodies a frame 87 carried by the mainframe 1, and through which frame 87 is journaled for rotation one end ofa transverse shaft 86 which is operatively connected with the shaft 82.Thus, a sprocket wheel 88 is keyed upon one end of the shaft 86 and isconnected by an endless sprocket chain 89 Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1913..

Serial No. 62,543.

with a sprocket wl1eel;'90 mounted loosely upon a sleeve 91 slidableupon the shaft 82 between the reel 83 and sprocket wheel 84;. Thesprocket wheel 90 is fastened by means of connections 92 with a frictiondisk 93 mounted loosely upon the shaft 82. A diametrical member 94 iskeyed or otherwise secured upon the shaft 82 adjacent the disk 93 andhas angularly extending ends 95 overhanging the wheel 93. Friction shoes96 are secured to the arms of the member 94 and bear against therespective face of the disk 93, and curved friction shoes 97 bearagainst the periphery of the disks 93. Screws 98 are threaded throughthe angularly extending ends 95 of the member 94- and coiled wireexpansion springs 99 are disposed between the screws 98 and shoes 97,for forcing the shoes 97 tightly against the periphery of the disk 93.In order to carry the shoes 97 around with the member 9 1, said shoesare connected by links 100 with brackets 101 attached to the member 941.Thus, when the member 94: is rotated, the shoes 97 will be carriedaround therewith, and the shoes 96-97 in hearing against the disk 93,will tend to rotate said disk with the member 94, whereby the disk 93will rotate the sprocket wheel 90 to actuate the shaft 86. The shoes96-97, however, can slip to allow the shaft 86 to rotate slower, ifnecessary. This provides a friction clutch or slip-connection wherebythere is a tendency for rotating the shaft 86 at a certain speed, butallowing said shaft to 1'0- tate slower.

The screws 98 can be adjusted for increas ing or decreasing the tensionof the springs 98, and the frictional engagement. between the shoes 96and disk 93 is controlled by the following device. A longitudinal rod102 extends into the shaft 82 and a nut 102 is threaded upon the outerend of the rod 102 and bears against the respective end of the shaft 82.A transverse pin 103 is engaged to the inner end of the rod 102 andworks within longitudinal slots 103 with which the shaft 82 is provided.The ends of the pin 103 are engaged rigidly with the sleeve 91, and adisk 10 1 is mounted loosely upon the shaft 82 and bears against therespective end of the sleeve 91 between the sprocket wheel 90 and disk93. Springs 105 are disposed between the disks 104 and 93, whereby saidsprings force the disk 93 against the shoes 96. By adjusting the nut102, the rod 102 can be adjusted for correspondingly adjusting thesleeve 91 and disk 104, to regulate the tension of the springs 105.

The mechanism 60 embodies a transverse screw 106 carried by the frame 87above the shaft 86, and a cable guiding member 107 has a nut 108threaded upon the screw 106. This member 107 is guided for transversemovement along the screw 106 by transverse guide rods 109 and 110, themember 107 having a pulley 111 at its upper end and bearing against therod 110. The mem ber 107 is thus guided for transverse movement, andwill not rotate. The member 107 has a slot for the passage of the cableC within which slot is mounted a pulley 112 over which the cable passes.A lever 113 is fulcrumed between its ends as at 116, and a pair ofintermeshing gears 114115 is carried by the lever 113 at the oppositesides of its fulcrum. One end of the shaft 86 is j ournaled through onearm of the lever 113 and has the gear 114 attached thereto. A gear 117is secured to the screw 106 adjacent one end thereof and is adapted tomesh with either of the gears 114115. Consequently, when the lever 113is swung to bring one of the gears 114115 into mesh with the gear 117,the screw 106 is rotated in one direction for moving. the member 107correspondingly, and when the lever 113 is shifted to bring the othergear thereof into mesh with the gear 117, the screw 106 is rotated inthe opposite direction to move the member 107 correspondingly. Themember 107 may thus be moved back and forth for laying the cableproperly upon the reel 83 as the cable is wound thereon, the member 107being moved proportional to the speed of rotation of the reel 83, sothat the cable is wound snugly in superposed layers upon the reel 83.

The device for operating the lever 113 embodies a lever 118 fulcrumed atone end to the frame 87 above the lever 113, one end of the lever 113having a hook 119 overhanging the lever 118, so that the lever 118 ismovable between the hook 119 and the respective arm of the lever 113. Alever 120 has one end pivoted to the free end of the lever 118 and hasits other end pivoted to a swinging standard 121 pivoted upon a bracket122, said standard 121 being connected by a retractile spring 123 withsaid bracket, to normally move the lever 120 toward the lever 118, so asto move the joint of the levers 118-120 either upwardly or downwardly.

In order to hold the lever 113 in one position with the gears 114117 inmesh, that arm of the lever 113 which has the hook 119 is provided withaprojecting finger 124 with which a hook or latch 125 is engageable, saidlatch being pivoted to the bracket 122. A latch releasing lever 126 isfulcrumed to the bracket 122 and is connected by a link 127 with thelever 120. Said lever 126 has a cam 128 coiiperable with the latch 125,whereby when the lever 120 is raised, the lever 126'is swung so that thecam 128 swings the latch 125 to released position. A spring 129 isconnected to the latch 125 and normally tends to swing said latch intoengagement with the finger 124. An upright link 130 has its upper endconnected to the joint of the levers 118-120 and has its lower endpivoted to the end of the long arm 131 of a bell crank or L-shaped lever132, the elbow of said lever 132 being fulcrumed to the intermediateportion of the frame 87. Levers 133-134 are fulcrumed to the frame 87adjacent the opposite ends of the screw 106, and said levers 133134 areconnected by links 135 with the short arm 136 of the lever 132. Themember 107 has outstanding fingers 137-138 projecting in oppositedirections to engage the respective levers 133-134.

Supposing the parts to be in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, withthe gear 114 in mesh with the gear 117, the screw 106 will be rotated tomove the member 107 from the left to the right as seen in Fig. 1. Thiswill lay the cable C in a similar direction upon the reel 83, and whenthe member 107 reaches the lever 134, the finger 138 contacts with thelever 134 and swings the same, which pushes the links 135 so as to raisethe long arm 131 of the lever 132 and to swing the lever 133 from theleft to the right as seen in Fig. 1. When the long arm 131 of the lever132 is raised, the link 130 will swing the levers 118120 upwardly.Before the lever 118 strikes the hook 119, the lever 120 pulls the link127 sufliciently to swing the lever 126 so that its cam 128 releases thelatch 125 from the finger 124, and then, when the lever 118 strikes thehook 119, the lever 113 will be raised with the lever 118. This willdisengage the gear 114 from the gear 117, so that the movement of themember 107 in the respective direction will be stopped, and when thelevers 118120 are moved above a straight line position, the spring 123comes into play for moving the joint of the levers 11812O upwardly,since the standard 121 is moved to break the joint of the levers118-120. This will bring the gear 115 into engagement with the gear 117so that the screw 106 is now rotated in the opposite direction, to movethe member 107 in the opposite direction. When the member 107 reachesthe lever 133, the finger 137 swings the lever 133 to the positionillusstrated in Fig. 1, and this swings the levers 134-132, the lever134 being swung to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, and the long arm131 of the lever 132 being swung downwardly. When the lever 132 is swungas just indicated, the link 130 is pulled downwardly, to pull the jointof the levers 118 120 downwardly below a straight line position, thelever 118 contacting with the lever 113 and disengaging the gear 115from the gear 117. The spring 123 will then move the levers 1l8120 tothe position illustrated in Fig. 2, to bring the gear 114 into mesh withthe gear 117, the finger 124 engaging the latch 125 to hold said gearsin mesh. The member 107 is thus again moved from the right to the left,as viewed in Fig. 1. This operation is repeated, so that the member 107is moved back and forth for properly laying the cable upon the reel 83.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a screw, a cable guidehaving a nut engaging said screw, a lever fulcrumed between its ends, apair of gears carried by the opposite arms of said lever, operatingmeans connected to said gears, a gear secured to said screw with whichsaid pair of gears are adapted to mesh alternately, means foroscillating said lever and holding it in either position, a pair oflevers operated by said guide at the opposite ends of the screw, and

an operative connection connecting said levers and the oscillatingmeans.

2. In a machine of the character described, a screw, a cable guidehaving a nut engaging said screw, an operating shaft, a lever fulcrumedbetween its ends, a pair of gears carried by the opposite arms of saidlever and connected to said shaft, a gear secured to the screw withwhich said pair of gears are adapted to mesh alternately, a pair oflovers operated by said guide at the opposite ends of the screw, a leverassociated with the first mentioned lever, the first mentioned leverhaving portions between which the third mentioned lever is movable, andthe first and third mentioned levers being movable relative to oneanother, spring means for holding the third mentioned lever at either oftwo positions, a latch for holding the first mentioned lever, and meansfor releasing the latch when the third mentioned lever is operated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM N. RETTINGER.

Witnesses SAMUEL LEMLER, SAMUEL GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

